Uchiha Nagi VS Jiraiya

The test began.

Uchiha Nagi and the other two did not charge in head-on like Uzumaki Naruto; instead, they each concealed themselves.

Jiraiya did not stop this from happening; on the contrary, he sighed with emotion, noting that they were much smarter than he had been at their age.

His gaze constantly swept across the surroundings, and both their hiding techniques and chakra suppression were executed exceptionally well.

For a moment, even he, a Jonin, failed to discover their hiding spots.

Watching Jiraiya, Uchiha Nagi also took a moment to consider his next tactical move.

Overall, he should still avoid exposing B-rank ninjutsu, though using C-rank ninjutsu appropriately would not raise any suspicions.

Besides, this was only a test; even if they failed to obtain the bells, as long as they demonstrated the qualities of a ninja, they would still pass the assessment.

For a time, the entire scene fell into a deathly silence.

All three were searching for a flaw in Jiraiya, yet while Jiraiya stood there appearing lazy and full of openings, his reputation made the three hesitate, leaving them unable to act.

This couldn't go on; someone had to be the first to break the stalemate!

Time to test him, Uchiha Nagi thought to himself.

His hands darted into his ninja tool pouch, his fingers gripping a handful of Shuriken.

Without hesitation, he launched his first round of attacks from his hiding spot.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Three Shuriken flew in a triangular formation, aiming straight for Jiraiya's upper, middle, and lower paths with precise angles and extreme speed.

The corners of Jiraiya's mouth curled up as his body swayed slightly.

He easily sidestepped the one aimed at his lower body, then tilted his head to dodge the one aimed at his throat.

At the same time, his right hand flashed out, catching the Shuriken aimed at his chest between his index and middle fingers.

"Not bad technique, kid," Jiraiya commented, appearing completely at ease.

Just then, Uchiha Nagi's second round of attacks arrived.

This time there were four Shuriken, two in the front and two slightly behind, their trajectories overlapping slightly with the previous round.

Jiraiya's gaze swept over them, preparing to do the same as before—using minimal movement to dodge or deflect.

He tilted his body slightly, preparing to let the first two pass.

However, the moment he shifted his center of gravity and his vision was drawn to the two Shuriken flying in front, a sudden change occurred!

Behind those Shuriken was another one, hidden within the trajectory of the ones Uchiha Nagi had thrown first, making it impossible to observe accurately.

This hidden Shuriken appeared too suddenly, its timing and angle calculated with extreme cunning.

It used the previous Shuriken as bait and cover, perfectly blending into the rhythm of the attack.

The relaxed look on Jiraiya's face vanished instantly.

His pupils constricted, and in the nick of time, he forcibly twisted his waist, kicked off the ground with his left foot, and vaulted backward.

"Rip!"

The hidden Shuriken grazed his hem, the blade slicing a long, thin tear in his clothes and pulling away a few threads.

Jiraiya glanced at his torn hem, and when he looked back toward Uchiha Nagi's hiding spot, his expression had completely changed.

The playfulness was gone, replaced by gravity and a hint of imperceptible appreciation.

"Good kid!" Jiraiya said in a deep voice.

Hidden in the shadows, Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Mikoto also witnessed this scene, both feeling a jolt of shock.

They hadn't expected Uchiha Nagi's probing attack to force Master Jiraiya into such a sorry state, nearly succeeding.

Uchiha Nagi caught his breath behind the tree; he knew this was only the beginning, and the real battle—or rather, the real test—was only just starting.

Jiraiya's attention had been completely drawn in.

The moment he threw the Shuriken, he had also signaled that his chosen position was exposed!

Jiraiya's gaze locked onto the direction from which Uchiha Nagi had thrown the Shuriken.

He pushed off the ground, his figure exploding outward as he lunged straight for the large tree serving as cover.

However, when he rushed behind the tree, it was already empty.

Faint traces of chakra fluctuations and stirred-up dust lingered in the air.

What quick judgment!

Jiraiya inwardly praised him; the opponent had made the decision to move the very moment he was forced back by the Shuriken.

He immediately scanned his surroundings; no matter how fast a ten-year-old brat was, he couldn't have gone far in such a short time.

Soon, he caught a glimpse of a hem flashing behind another tree not far away.

"Found you!"

Jiraiya did not hesitate, accelerating once more, reaching the tree in the blink of an eye.

Sure enough, the figure of Uchiha Nagi stood with his back to him, seemingly intending to teleport away once more.

A smug smile curled the corners of Jiraiya's mouth as he reached out a large hand, lunging for Uchiha Nagi's shoulder.

Gotcha! the thought had barely crossed Jiraiya's mind.

But the moment his fingers applied pressure, the body of the "Uchiha Nagi" he had grabbed suddenly stiffened.

Immediately following a soft "poof," it transformed into a rough log.

It was the Substitution Technique!

Jiraiya's hand remained in a grasping posture, holding nothing but that cold piece of wood, along with an... already triggered Explosive Tag stuck to it.

The smile on his face froze, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

"Hm?" Jiraiya frowned, looking at the substitution log in his hand, and muttered to himself, "Tsk, to think I'd be played by a brat using the Substitution Technique..."

The principle of the Substitution Technique was nothing more than a trick; given the gap in strength between Jiraiya and Uchiha Nagi, Uchiha Nagi should have had no ability to use the Substitution Technique right in front of him.

Therefore, this Substitution Technique must have been prepared when he wasn't looking, and the boy's true self had already made a swift escape.

However, to be able to deceive a battle-hardened jonin like him even for a moment—the proficiency of this Substitution Technique alone was enough to pass this assessment.

Jiraiya praised him inwardly, simultaneously tossing away the log with the Explosive Tag attached as his figure retreated rapidly.

Even he could not withstand the blast of an Explosive Tag with his bare body.

"BOOM!!"

The firelight from the exploding Explosive Tag illuminated Jiraiya.

"If it were an average chunin, they might have actually been killed by that..." Jiraiya clicked his tongue.

Just then, he sensed something amiss; another whistling sound seemed to ring out, its target being the bell hanging from his ninja tool pouch.

"So you've made your move? The timing... is quite good."

Namikaze Minato had immediately judged Jiraiya's likely retreat path and thrown a Shuriken at the first opportunity, aiming to cut the bell loose.

The moment the Shuriken precisely severed the cord holding the bell, a flash of delight crossed Uchiha Mikoto's eyes.

The bell looked as if it were about to fall along with the severed cord.

But the next moment, her expression froze.

The "Jiraiya" struck by the Shuriken suddenly twisted and warped, exploding into a substitution log with a "poof."

The real Jiraiya appeared behind Namikaze Minato, his right hand forming a claw as he reached for the boy's nape.

"Good tactics, but you're too impatient, brat!"